Get to know former Tesoro player, current UC Riverside pitcher AJ Roldan
RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. — From Tesoro to UC Riverside, AJ Roldan found his place on the mound. As a left-handed pitcher, Roldan saw plenty of at-bats in high school, but he is sticking to pitching at the Division I level.
Last season, Roldan threw 12 strikeouts in 19 appearances鈥攕haring time as a relief pitcher for the struggling Highlanders鈥� team. Roldan鈥檚 individual performance and stats will be key to achieving his MLB dream, with UC Riverside鈥檚 team record at 8-45 this past season. With his freshman season behind him, he is ready and willing to work to improve upon those numbers this coming year.
鈥淚鈥檝e got a personal goal,鈥� says Roldan. 鈥淚 want to be a starting pitcher with one of the team鈥檚 lowest ERAs (Earned Run Averages).鈥�
While his talent is evident, Roldan recognizes he must put in the work to take that next step. On an average day of training, he wakes up before 7:00 am with his teammates for weightlifting, heads to study hall at 9:00 am, has class from 10:00 am-noon., and then practice from 2:00-6:00 pm.
Playing a sport can make the transition from high school to the college world difficult, but Roldan is most surprised by the level of individual play. Every player on a Division I roster was a star on their local team growing up, but there is no way they can all be the best at the next level.
鈥淚t was a wake-up call, and it tells you to work harder if you want to be better,鈥� Roldan explains. 鈥淚 think it was a change for the better for me because now I just want to work harder.鈥�
At 6鈥�1鈥� and 195 pounds, Roldan is well beyond his Ladera Ranch Little League days. Playing baseball his whole life, Roldan realizes that failure is as good a teacher as any.
鈥淏aseball is a game of failure,鈥� Roldan remarks. 鈥淭he greatest athletes in the sport fail 70% of the time. They hit .300, and they鈥檙e in the Hall of Fame.鈥�
There is no Plan B for Roldan; he will go all out to lace up in the Big 海角社区. While he has the talent and determination to take that next step, it is a long, competitive road to the top. Following his Senior campaign, Roldan will shoot for the 2025 MLB Draft. Much more complicated than other professional sports, the MLB鈥檚 20-round draft pulls players from high school, junior college, universities, and abroad with a large player pool from Latin America and Eastern Asia.
鈥淭here are times I think about the logistics of getting drafted, and it looks like it鈥檚 impossible,鈥� says Roldan. 鈥淏ut I鈥檝e learned I just need to have the confidence and believe in myself because that鈥檚 the only way I鈥檒l make it there.鈥�
Making it as a professional athlete is not the easiest career path, but Roldan鈥檚 maturity and understanding of what it will take give him an edge. His past coaches and teammates would not be shocked to see 鈥淩oldan鈥� on the back of an MLB jersey soon.
Excited to do anything he can to fulfill his own goals at the next level, Roldan advises all the kids out there, 鈥淲hatever sport or hobby you love to do, do it with 100%. Never go half effort; there鈥檚 no point.鈥�
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.